Hull and Hull KR will resume one of the most hostile rivalries in rugby league this weekend, with Hull coach Richard Agar admitting that the three meetings between the two last season left his players 'battered and bruised'.

The inner-city enemies played out two regular season games and one play-off fixture in 2010, with Hull winning the first two and Rovers winning the all-important play-off fixture.

All three were fesity affairs, as is often the case when the two clubs, who are separated by just six miles, meet.

Temper, temper: The Hull v Hull KR clash always brings out the best and worse in both teams

And as the duo prepare to bring the curtain down on this weekend`s season-opening Magic weekend in Cardiff, Agar has acknowledged how hard playing in a derby fixture can be.

'I`ll be honest, we were beaten up by those games last year,' he said. 'They (Hull KR) might say the same, I don`t know.

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'They are physically and emotionally demanding on you, especially when you play them more than you normally would.

'We put so much in and, if we had have beaten them in that play-off game, we`d have struggled the week after. I can`t speak for Hull KR, but we would have struggled. We were battered and bruised.'

Rovers did struggle to back-up the week after and were dumped out of the play-offs by eventual winners Wigan.

They still managed to retain the bragging rights in the city, though, after a year which saw the rivalry often go beyond friendly.

A full-scale brawl marred Hull`s mid-season win at the KC Stadium, while Agar himself was drawn into a war or words with Hull KR forward Clint Newton.

Agar accused Newton and team-mate Peter Fox of 'cockiness' after they bleached their hair ahead of that game, with Australian Newton criticising Agar in a subsequent newspaper column.

The Hull coach, though, admits that while a rivalry does exist, comments made from both sides often amount to little more than good-natured posturing.

'Things get said, of course they do, sometimes in the heat of the moment,' he added. 'But there is a respect there and, while we might not always admit it publically, we are good for each other.

'If you look at the derby as a fixture then it is our biggest attendance and theirs, it`s great for hospitality and things like that, and there is something special about it, something extra.'

Having held fourth place for the majority of last season, Hull surrendered it with a final-day defeat to Leeds before being dumped out of the competition by Rovers.

Those two defeats meant what had been a promising campaign ended sourly, but Agar is keen to stress what a positive year it actually was.

'We`re comfortable in our own skin, we know what progress we made and what we want to make,' he said.

'We know that our season might be remembered for that, but we were pleased with some of the progress that we made.

'We were unhappy with a decision we got against Leeds, but I can look at two or three games where we let ourselves down.

'Salford away was one of those games, as was Wakefield away which was a non-event for us.We know that we have things we can improve on and we`re looking to do that this season.'

Meanwhile, Hull have completed the signing of Cameron Phelps until the end of the 2011 season, subject to the Australian being granted a visa.

Phelps, 25, was released by Engage Super League champions Wigan in November having made 41 appearances for the Warriors since joining them in May 2008.

Phelps revealed his delight at the move to Hull, where he will join up with close friend Mark O’Meley.He said: 'Hull are a good club and they have a lot of potential. They have a good young roster, with a mix of youth and experience and have a chance of winning some silverware.'

'You look at the likes of O’Meley and Fitz (Craig Fitzgibbon) and then youngsters like Tom Briscoe and Danny Houghton, they have a good mix and a talented squad.

'I played with Mark before and he’ll be a big help for me settling in and I know Longy (Sean Long) and Fitzgibbon as well, so it will help me get used to the plays and learn the moves.'